Police alerted to Petah Tikva apartment find 80 year old covered in own feces. Officers who have 'seen it all' shocked

Raanan Ben-Zur|Published: 04.02.12 , 18:02

An 80-year-old blind man who was found in a state of severe neglect at a Petah Tikva
apartment was evacuated to a local hospital overnight Friday. The man's 55-year-old son has denied allegations that he had kept his father locked up in the flat.

The building's tenants phoned the police and said they had heard the man crying for help. Officers who arrived at the scene broke into the apartment with the help of firefighters and found the elderly man covered in his own feces and urine.

"The old man was just lying there, helpless, motionless and dirty. Officers who have seen almost everything had a hard time looking at him. The stench was difficult to bear," one officer said. "It's hard to believe that in 2012 people can reach such a severe state of neglect."

The man's son told investigators his father has a personal caregiver, but claimed he could not locate the caregiver and did not have his cell phone number. This led investigators to suspect that the father was being neglected.

The son was arrested on suspicion of physically and mentally abusing his father and locking him up in the apartment.